her momentarily speechless. Mabel still bent over her roses, in
smiling interest, and Frederic Chilton was watching her--but not as
the third person of the group about the beaufet watched them both
between her half-closed lids, her black brows close together, and
the glittering teeth visible under the curling upper lip.

"She looked like a panther lying in wait for her prey!" Mrs. Sutton
said to her niece, many months later, in attempting to describe the
scene. "Or like a bright-eyed snake coiled for a spring. The sight
of her sent shivers all down my spine."

Her interruption of the tableau sounded oddly abrupt to ears used to
her pleasant accents.

"Come, young people! how long are you going to keep me waiting?
Breakfast is cooling fast!"

"I beg your pardon, Auntie! I did not notice that it had been
brought in," apologized Mabel, drawing back, that Frederic might
lift the loaded salver carefully to its place upon the board.

As they were closing about this, they were joined by Messrs.
Barksdale and Branch, Miss Tabb delaying her appearance until the
repast was nearly over, and meeting the raillery of the party upon
her late rising with the sweet, soft smile her cousin-betrothed
admired as the indication of unadulterated amiability. The
breakfast-hour, always pleasant, was to-day particularly merry. Rosa
led off in the laughing debates, the play of repartee, friendly
jest, and anecdote that incited all to mirth and speech and tempted
them to linger around the table long after the business of the meal